PETA has been on pharmaceutical company Amgen's case for years over the company's stubborn refusal to more actively implement alternatives to animal experiments, among other things. But we're riding high this week after pulling a fast one at Amgen's Tour of California Bike Race.

Amgen sponsored the massive race and had its branding everywhere, but so did we:

PETA got the last laugh near the finish line. As the racers flew by and the news cameras flashed, two stealthily placed staffers whipped out signs about Amgen's animal abuse and held them high for the crowd to see:

It's time for Amgen to join in the race to replace animal tests with modern science.

Photo of the Day

Fresh off a stint asking politicians to "cut the pork" out of the federal budget, PETA's plucky "pig" asked attendees of Iowa's Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival not to cut the pork off pigs' bodies.

When the "pig" implored, "I am not bacon," the fans of fried fat stopped to listen and take our leaflets. I guess all that bacon grease hasn't ruined their hearts yet.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

If this "Fur Out, Love In" demonstration brings to mind a John Lennon–Yoko Ono bed-in, why not celebrate Valentine's Day peacefully—without the skins of tortured animals? Imagine all the animals living life in peace …

PHOTO OF THE DAY

The striking display of blood-soaked people lying "dead" on trays outside a pig slaughterhouse was enough to stop traffic—literally.

When Ringling brought "The Cruelest Show on Earth" to Tampa Bay, Florida, this week, it was met with a hardy crowd of animal protection advocates—and a group that was a bit, well, shorter. Children showed up to protest Ringling with handmade signs depicting elephants who were beaten and proclaiming, "Kids Know Better."

Out of the mouths of babes—and into the minds of many. Help the awesome kids in your life get involved with PETA Kids.

Did you know that PETA did some wonderful things in 2011 that you probably didn't read about in the newspapers? I do—because I've read PETA's latest annual report, and you can too. Here's a sample of the interesting stuff that you'll find in just the "Year in Numbers" section alone:

©iStockphoto/ Andrew Helwich

• PETA's SNIP and ABC clinics spayed and neutered more than 11,000 animals.
• More than 40 million people visited PETA's websites.
• More than 650,000 free vegetarian/vegan starter kits were sent out by PETA.
• PETA's Communications Department booked upward of 4,500 media interviews.
• More than 300 free doghouses were built and delivered—and 1,200 bales of straw were bagged—to give shelter and warmth to dogs forced to live outdoors.
• PETA's International Grassroots Campaign Department helped organize nearly 1,500 demonstrations.
• The amount of free advertising space secured by PETA was worth more than 1.5 million dollars.

There's lots more to learn—but check it out for yourself. And if you want to be a part of a record-breaking 2012, there's no better time to join us than right now!

Salt Lake City turned into Sexy Leaf City when PETA's "Lettuce Ladies" rolled into town. The leafy lovelies were there to persuade folks to go lean and green in 2012 by going vegan.

The SLC "occupiers" even stopped occupying long enough to chat with the green gals (and enjoy some free soy sausage).

Want a figure so svelte that you feel confident wearing leafy vegetables? Click here.

The best show in Vegas last week wasn't in a casino—it was on the sidewalk on Las Vegas Boulevard. Luck was a lady leopard (and a cow and a snake) when PETA's "showgirls" stripped down on The Strip to reveal their animalistic bodypaint.

Crowds flocked to the ladies like they were the hottest blackjack table, posing for pictures and scooping up information about how animals raised or trapped for their skin suffer.

With the flurry of flashbulbs now over and loads of leaflets distributed, it's a safe bet that any animal skins the passersby will be flaunting from now on will be as fake as an Elvis impersonator.

You and animals both win when you choose animal prints, not animal skins.

Since, as the holiday classic explains, "the weather outside is frightful," you have to admire the dedication of PETA's "Mistletoe Misses," who have been braving Arctic breezes wearing nothing but mistletoe-covered bikinis to share "kisses"—along with the word about the many advantages of a vegan diet.

The delightful duo has been giving away vegan chocolates with tags saying, "Be Sweet to Animals," along with PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kits.

Courtesy of Mahdi Dadrass

Playboy Playmate Crystal McCahill is no stranger to wearing bunny ears. But today, she and PETA campaigner Tracy Patton put on bunny ears for a different reason: to save bunny skins. The PETA cottontails asked shoppers in busy downtown Chicago to hightail it away from fur.

The bunnies were hopping mad about how animals are beaten, electrocuted, and often skinned alive for their fur. And as these two made clear, everyone looks best in their own skin.

Be a bunny's honey—don't wear fur.